Alina Davidov of Real Gourmet Food: 5 Things You Need To Build A Trusted And Beloved Brand
First, to have a trusted and believable brand, the head of the company (be it the founder or the president), must have their ethics and morals aligned and have the mindset of treating every customer the way they would want to be treated as a customer. This goes beyond what you are selling and includes every aspect of the business from great service to having reasonable company policies.
As part of our series about how to create a trusted, believable, and beloved brand, I had the pleasure to interview Alina Davidov.
Alina Davidov is a true caviar lover. At the age of two, Alina was introduced to the world of caviar and was immediately captivated by its unique taste and delicate texture. As Alina grew older, she developed a deep appreciation for caviar and became a true connoisseur of the delicacy.
Now the Owner and Founder of Real Gourmet Food, Alina is dedicated to providing only the finest sourced and most exquisite culinary experiences. Real Gourmet Foods caviar is sustainably sourced from the purest waters, and its selection of gourmet foods is carefully curated to include the highest quality ingredients. “At Real Gourmet Food, we believe that every meal should be a celebration, and it is our mission to make that happen for our customers.”
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
After graduating high school as the top business student in the class of ’94, I felt like the world was mine. College, with four scholarships under my belt, was about to start and the future was looking opportunistic, to say the least. Little did I know then that this feeling would quickly fade into a short-lived memory and pain me for decades to come.
As I entered college, I found myself in a relationship with an older man (now my husband) who was several years ahead in his career path and he was killing it. Balancing his demanding schedule and eccentric lifestyle often meant burning the midnight oil with my own studies. After graduating, we got married and started a family, and my brief existence in the corporate scene came to a halt when my husband voiced opposition to any nannies caring for our children so that I could have a career.
Despite feeling privileged to be a mother, I couldn’t shake the nagging sense of unfulfillment and struggled with depression, as the inability to pursue a career weighed heavily on me. Despite the relentless demands of juggling household chores, raising children, and keeping up with my husband’s fast-paced career, I made countless attempts to find something meaningful and purposeful to do. I felt like a sailor lost at sea, searching for the right direction to steer me toward my destination, as I battled against the relentless tides of disappointment and self-doubt.
As I thought I had finally found my calling, something always seemed to come along and knock me back down. As I settled into my role as a real estate agent, I was hit with an unexpected new responsibility — to oversee the care of my widowed grandfather. And let me tell you, he came packed with more drama than the movie “Grumpy Old Men” from the ’90s, despite the additional challenges, amidst everything else that was going on in my life at that time.
As fate seemed to pull my career away from me, I needed a more balanced schedule that would allow me to stay in the working world. After some deep soul-searching and realizing that two career-driven individuals like my husband and me under one roof could only lead to conflict, I eventually made peace with the idea that instead of building a big name for myself as an agent, I would focus on helping new team owners build their own reputations, serving as a dedicated right-hand person to those who needed it.
Although I was content with my job, I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing out on something greater. I began exploring businesses for sale and looking for interesting opportunities that would allow me to operate something of my own with defined hours. One day, I stumbled across a small-scale physical gourmet food store that also sold caviar, and I almost purchased it. Fortunately, someone in my life who operates on a much greater level within the US gourmet food industry, convinced me that this wasn’t the right fit for me. Instead, he took me by the hand and introduced me to a sector of the industry where I could truly make a difference. My operational, team-building, management and even writing skills all came together like the intricate pieces of a machine, and I knew that I had found my calling.
By this point in my life, I had honed my discipline and problem-solving skills to such a degree that I fear absolutely nothing. My passion for caviar and entrepreneurial drive converged seamlessly, like the grand finale of a fireworks display. From the moment I hit the ground running, my team and I worked in overdrive, creating a model in five months, that could have taken years to create. Admittedly, I stopped sleeping during this time, but the adrenaline rush was so intense that I didn’t feel tired. It was like being lost at sea for decades and finally finding the perfect current to ride to shore. Looking back, I now clearly understand how every experience, good, bad, or otherwise, that I had up to this moment was a piece of this puzzle that had finally fallen into place for me, and the one and only reason it did, was because I kept surging forward.
Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The most hilarious marketing mistake happened when my kids got ahold of an important caviar reserve. It was the night before Real Gourmet Food was to present our products at the Carol Coelho Intimates Galentines event, and I was hard at work in my office while my kids were in the kitchen. Suddenly, I heard them all burst into hysterical laughter. My daughter had apparently been mimicking me on video, showing off caviar like a pro. I tried to ignore the noise and keep working, but she soon ran in to show me the video, and my heart almost stopped. There she was, popping open a 3.5 oz jar of our Royal Imperial Kaluga Hybrid caviar — the same one we were planning to introduce for our Spring 2023 collection, and a reserve for my husband’s upcoming birthday. I was angry for a minute, but then I realized that this was meant to be and so we introduced this very fine caviar at the event the next day. To make it even more exciting, we put a jar of it into a drawing that a lucky winner got delivered fresh to their house. The lesson learned here? Keep your products under lock and key, especially if you have curious kids around!
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
As the founder of Real Gourmet Food, I am passionate about setting us apart from the competition. We don’t believe in copying what others do. Rather, our e-commerce store was born out of my need to bring 20+ years of real estate character into the food world. We embedded ethics, transparency, and full disclosure into every step of the process from the first product photos we took. As a food company, it was crucial to showcase more than just the pretty pictures; we aimed to provide raw footage of our products. That includes showing the frost turning into droplets on our meat packaging and full nutrition labels and any awards. Transparency is everything.
When we white-labeled our red and black caviar selection, it became our mission to share every element of the product with our customers. That’s why we began filming pop-open videos to show every characteristic of that caviar. We want our customers to see exactly what they’re getting, especially if they’re placing large orders for weddings or special events. We also offer small sample sizes so that customers can taste our products at home before placing larger orders. We’re committed to providing a seamless, honest shopping experience, and we know that our transparency is what sets us apart.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We are always working on something new. It’s too early to speak about this before we roll it out, but we are preparing to introduce a very exciting caviar package for consumers and plan to introduce it in time for the wedding season that[‘s about to begin. We are also creating our first gift boxes so our customers can gift caviar sets all year round for every birthday or special occasion.
Ok let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?
Although both branding and advertising are crucial for the success of a company, they are two different strategies. Advertising involves introducing a new product by describing its features, benefits, and price to the consumers. For instance, we create videos that describe the specific characteristics, nutritional value, and price of caviar, or run promotional campaigns for holidays, which are short-term strategies aimed at selling the product.
On the other hand, branding is a well-planned and consistent strategy that distinguishes a brand from others. Since day one, we have been branding our business by popping open thousands of dollars worth of caviar through media and sharing every product detail transparently with our customers. This approach communicates to our customers that we want them to see exactly what they are getting.
We are currently rolling out a new branding strategy called Expressions by Real Gourmet Food©, which involves unique phrases or expressions written by me that reflect on caviar either as the hero of that moment or a reflection. These moments can be humorous, romantic, or serious, and black caviar is always in the mental scene. Written with a curious tone, we want the readers to wonder what they just read and to intuitively want to click a link. While expressions entertain our audience, they are a long-term branding move that will differentiate us from all our competition. The series of expressions begins with one that I wrote about myself, actually having a recurring moment in time with caviar, a moment that a true appreciator of caviar can identify with, and then takes off from there.
Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?
Absolutely! It’s crucial to understand that advertising is only a short-term solution to sell products or services. If a business constantly runs the same promotions, it can eventually lead to a loss of credibility. This is where branding comes in, as it gives a brand its unique essence and personality. For Real Gourmet Food, it’s about more than just selling delicious gourmet food. We want to create an emotional connection with our customers that keeps them coming back time and time again. I am a firm believer that by investing my time and energy into strategic branding today, we’re creating an experience and building a consumer-centric relationship that can’t be replicated.
Can you share 5 strategies that a company should be doing to build a trusted and believable brand? Please tell us a story or example for each.
Just 5? Certainly! First, to have a trusted and believable brand, the head of the company (be it the founder or the president), must have their ethics and morals aligned and have the mindset of treating every customer the way they would want to be treated as a customer. This goes beyond what you are selling and includes every aspect of the business from great service to having reasonable company policies.
Next, in the food industry, where the safety and quality of consumable goods are imperative, the entire supply chain must be overseen from sourcing to the table. As an example in our business, we could have maximized profits by becoming caviar importers ourselves. But we chose not to. Instead, we chose to partner with and bring to our customers the experience and quality of an existing and highly trusted importing system with strict compliance measures that have existed for over 30 years. Savvy customers aren’t just searching for a catchy-looking online storefront. They dig deeper and ask relevant questions about sourcing, quality, and more. As a company, we take every responsible step possible, in advance, to ensure that they are getting nothing short of the very best.
Further, to be a trusted and believable brand, a company must practice the what you see is what you get model. This goes back to the transparency that we have touched on many times above.
Most importantly, the quality of products must be consistently fresh and well-packaged. In our world of delivering perishable goods to people’s homes, there are two checkpoints here. One is a packing department reviewing the condition of products and their packaging before the packing process begins. The second is the expertise in how to properly pack perishable items into thermal containers so they are delivered fresh and of the highest quality.
Finally, positive reviews and recommendations from other customers play a huge role. Being consumer-centric and transparent, we installed judge.me into our online store. This is a third-party app (with real people behind the scenes) that monitors every single review and confirms its authenticity. Ensuring that the review is linked to a real transaction that took place. A few weeks ago, judge.me awarded RealGourmetFood.com the Diamond Transparency Medal.
In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job building a believable and beloved brand? What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?
Kris Jenner / Kardashian show as a brand. Everything impresses me about her, her smarts, her strategy. She’s my walking idol.
She’s a walking evolving human brand. Everything she did from monetizing her family’s popularity to building an empire out of her family name is the biggest example of making something out of nothing.
In advertising, one generally measures success by the number of sales. How does one measure the success of a brand-building campaign? Is it similar, is it different?
While the most important measure to me is converting sales, a brand-building campaign can also be measured in reach through successful messaging. Website traffic, social media engagement, brand mentions, or brand recall.
What role does social media play in your branding efforts?
Social media is an integral part of our branding efforts. We use it daily to share brand messages, introduce new products, and connect with influencers who can help us reach a wider audience. Also, my whole expressions branding (explained above) is customized for social media with matching banners and post creatives.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
When I used to work for others, I had an employer tell me to calm down because Rome wasn’t built in a day.
In my world, Rome should of been built yesterday:
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.” John Heywood is important to me because I challenge this phrase daily and in my world, Rome should have been built yesterday.
We are blessed that very prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have a lunch or breakfast with? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Yes, Kris Jenner (Kardashian)
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
